Halloween events, parade slated in Lake Placid

October 28, 2010

LAKE PLACID — Get ready for that spooktacular time of the year when ghost stories fly through the air, old horror movies flood TV stations and children run through the streets dressed as witches and ghouls fueled by candy and treats.

As the jack-o-lanterns flicker, there’s plenty going on for Halloween in the Olympic village and surrounding areas:

Shipman benefit party

at High Falls Gorge

For the second year in a row, the Shipman Youth Center will host a benefit at the High Falls Gorge in Wilmington from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30.

“This is going to be another fabulous event,” said organizer Dmitry Feld, president of the Shipman Youth Center board of trustees. “A great time for the whole community.”

Last year they had a little rain, Feld said, but it didn’t stop everyone from having a good time.

“We all had a blast and ended up raising around $1,800 for the center,”

he added. “I’m hoping for better weather and an even better turn out this year.”

The event will include pumpkin carving contests with prizes for two age groups, 5 -12 and 13 -18, and a costume contest for youths (age 18 and under). Prizes will be awarded for the “scariest, funniest and most original costumes” Feld said. The same three prizes will be awarded for adults, age 18 and over.

“Another great thing about this,” Feld said. “We’re going to have our very own Shipman Youth Center Band playing a live show during the event.”

A tax deductible donation of $10 per person will be collected at the door (kids ages 4 and under are free). Tickets include an all day pass to the waterfalls, an “all you can eat campfire buffet” and all children will receive a pumpkin to carve.

“Times are tough right now, so we’re trying to raise everything we can,” Feld said. “So come on down and have a great time.”

For more information, contact the High Falls Gorge at 518-946-2278.

Parade down

Main Street

Once again the Lake Placid Elementary School and St. Agnes, as well as children from the Lake Placid Headstart and various local day care centers, will parade down Main Street dressed in their full Halloween regalia starting at 12:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29 at the top of Olympic Drive.

This year’s parade will also include the Lake Placid Middle/High School marching band.

The parade route starts at the High Peaks Resort, proceeds down Main Street and ends at Cummings Road where children will re-board buses and return to school.

For more information, contact the elementary school at 518-523-3640.

Time Warp at Rocky Horror (SOLD OUT)

“It’s just a jump to the left. And then a step to the right,” sings the cast of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” during a dance sequence in the notorious 1975 horror parody that will soon hit the screen at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.

At 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29 the LPCA and the Community Theatre Players will take a step back in time and revisit the cult classic for the second year in a row during a screening of the film, complete with live performers to get the audience in the spirit.

“Last year we were just getting a feel for it, just learning the ropes,” said Kim Andresen, director of programs at the LPCA. “This year is going to be even better. It’s going to be a blast.”

The film follows a newly engaged couple, Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), whose car breaks down on a cold and rainy night in November. With nowhere else to turn they pay a visit to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who invites them into his lab to see his creation. Before long Brad and Janet are swallowed up in the strange world of Frank-N-Furter and his entourage in a story of love, hate, adventure, the occasional murder and plenty of good tunes.

But who cares about the plot — it’s mostly about the experience.

Since its release in 1975 Rocky Horror has gained notoriety as a midnight movie, playing Halloween night in theaters across the nation. But don’t expect to get too comfortable with your popcorn — audience participation is all but required. Viewers dress up as their favorite characters, shout out back lines to the screen throughout the film and often dance to the Time Warp in the aisles (if you’re nervous you can learn the moves on YouTube).

“Last year was crazy,” said LPCA box office manager Matt Sorenson. “People were screaming at the top of their lungs. It was so powerful, the wall of sound you get hit with is just the best drug there is.”

Sorenson will direct members of the Community Theatre Players, who will dress up as characters from the film and act out scenes throughout the night.

“Auditions have been a little tricky,” Sorenson, who will play Dr. Frank-N-Furter, said. “It takes a lot of gumption for people to put themselves in this very revealing public place, but it’s going well. I’m really excited and the cast is really excited about it.”

The event is a co-fundraiser for the Community Players and the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Doors open at 11:30 p.m. for the one-night-only event.

“This is just something fun and different to do,” Andresen said. “What else are you going to do on a Friday night at midnight besides go to a bar? This will beat any bar.”

Andresen said last year’s audience was the “largest cross-mix of people” she had ever seen at the venue.

“We had parents with their 13 and 14-year-old kids, we had people in their seventies enjoying the show and, of course, a lot of 40 and 50-year-olds who remember the movie coming out,” she said.

Keeping with the LPCA’s wonderful programing, the event celebrates the film as a piece of art. In 2005, the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”

Tickets are $16 in advance or $20 at the door if available and the price include a prop bag — anything from noisemakers and water pistols to newspapers and rice — that will come in handy.